Runaround
by drJsg1
Summary: Just another day at the office. Our favorite team is on a case. The characters from 7th Heaven are just players in this story as well as the use of characters of places from other shows.


**I do not own any of the NCIS characters, 7****th**** Heaven characters, Mac Taylor, or the Dragonfly Inn in Stars Hollow. **

**Chapter 1**

(Cut to the outside of a nice suburban home only it has police tape around the front and four young children standing out front, pan to a group of people in suits or slacks coming up to the policeman running the scene)

Tony: Hey Ernie. What do we got?

Ernie: Hey DiNozzo. It's a real mess in there. I'd prepare yourself before you go in, it's a bloodbath. Looks like a family. Seven people are dead in there. Five kids, two adults, it's just a real tragedy.

Gibbs: And those four? They the suspects?

Ernie: Naw. The Camden family was really big on doing there part. The father was a minister, those are their foster kids. That youngest boy has been with this family since the day he was born. I don't know how any of those kids are going to be the same after seeing that mess.

Ziva: Only the foster children survived? Suspicious yes?

Ernie: Naw. Those are good kids.

Gibbs: We're going to need to talk to them anyway. McGee, Ziva, go start processing the house. Tony and I will talk to the kids.

Tim: Tony with kids. This should be interesting.

(They walk off)

(Cut to Tony and Gibbs walking over to the children with Ernie in tow)

Ernie: Hey guys. This is Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Special Agent Tony DiNozzo; they need to ask you a few questions about what happened here tonight.

Gibbs: Why don't you older two go talk to Tony and I'll take the younger ones.

Xander: We'd prefer not to be separated.

Gibbs: I'll take good care of them I promise. Besides, we'll be in seeing distance of you the whole time.

(Cut to Gibbs talking to Simon and Rachael)

Gibbs: So, do you two have names?

Simon: I'm Simon. This is Rachael. Are you a real Special Agent?

Gibbs: Sure am. I need you two to tell me exactly what happened here tonight so that we can catch the people that did this to your family.

Simon: Can we see your badge first?

Gibbs: Sure can.

(He pulls it out and gives it to the two young children)

Simon: Cool.

Gibbs: Ready to tell me what happened now? Why weren't the four of you in the house with the rest of the family?

Simon: We were at the movies.

Rachael: We saw _Lady and the Tramp_. It was really good.

Simon: Yeah. It was at the movie theatre down town that shows all those old movies for cheap. That way we can buy more snacks.

Rachael: We bought popcorn and Reeses and snickers, except I can't have those cause I'm allergic to nuts.

Simon: We also got a huge cotton candy and slushees.

Gibbs: Sounds like you guys had a great time. But why wasn't the rest of your family there?

(Cut to Tony talking to Xander and Finn)

Xander: We didn't want the younger kids to know but Eric and Annie asked us all to leave the house for a little while.

Tony: Why?

Finn: Family reunion. We aren't part of the family.

(Cut to Gibbs)

Simon: Xander and Finn don't want us to know that Mom and Dad wanted us out of the house so that they could have their real family over.

Gibbs: Real family?

Rachael: Yeah. We aren't her real kids so we weren't invited.

(Cut to Tony)

Xander: The movie ended and we were going to take the kids to the pool so that we could stay out of the way but we forgot sunscreen. We just figured we could sneak in real quick, grab the swim gear and head out. They keep all that stuff in the garage anyway. They never would have known we were there.

Tony: I'm guessing that plan didn't work out so well?

Finn: It would have.

Xander: We were pulling out of the driveway when Rachael decided she had to go to the bathroom.

Finn: We figured we could sneak her through the back door, into the kitchen and upstairs to the bathroom without anyone seeing us.

(Cut to Gibbs)

Rachael: That's when we heard a scream, than a bang, then more scream and more bangs.

(She was crying by now as well as Simon, with Simon holding her close to him)

Gibbs: We're almost done Kiddo, I promise. Can you tell me what happened next?

Rachael: We heard the voices coming closer so Finn picked me up and we ran out the side door, then we ran to Xander and Simon and we all got in the car and drove for a little bit and then we stopped and Finn called the police.

(Cut to Tony)

Finn: I called as soon as I thought we were a safe distance from the house. I didn't want whoever was shooting to come outside and find us. We sat on the side of the road until we heard the police and then we followed them back to the house and told them everything we knew. Then they called you.

(Cut to Gibbs)

Simon: Everyone's dead, aren't they?

Gibbs: Yeah Son, they are.

(Cut to Tony)

Xander: Is there a chance that we're in danger too?

Tony: I'm not sure right now but I can promise that we'll protect the four of you until we're absolutely sure that none of you are in danger.

(Tony, Xander, and Finn start walking over to Gibbs, Simon, and Rachael)

We'll be taking you down to the station, it's probably the safest place for all of you right now and you'll be close by in case we have any more questions.

Simon: Do we get to ride in a police car?

(Tony and Gibbs look over to Ernie who is standing off to the side)

Ernie: Sure do Buckaroo. And I'll turn on the sirens just for you.

Simon: Alright!

Gibbs: (Leans into Ernie so the kids don't hear)

Tony will be riding with you guys for the added protection.

(He leans back and speak clearly again)

Tony why don't you ride with and get them settled in. Introduce them to Abby and Ducky; I know those two would love to meet them.

Tony: Sure thing Boss. You kids ready to ride in a police car?

Simon: You Betcha.

(Cut to the kids getting into the police car excitedly as Ernie turns on the siren and takes off)

(Cut to Gibbs entering the house)

Gibbs: McGee, David, what do we got?

McGee: Ernie was right Boss. This is a bloodbath. There's practically bodies in every single room. What looks to be the parents are in the living room with what may be their oldest son. Two teenage girls are in the kitchen, looks like they intended to make themselves a snack. And then there is a little girl in the upstairs bathroom.

Gibbs: Was she . . .

McGee: It doesn't look like it Boss. She fully dressed and none of her clothes are messed up, it looks as if she was just going to the bathroom but we can have Ducky check her out when he gets her just in case.

Gibbs: Ducky's not coming. The Director needs him for a special project back at NCIS. He sent Palmer though; he should be here any minute.

McGee: What project? Never mind. Boss, I don't get why we were called in on this case. There is nothing her indicating military involvement.

Ziva: I do not agree. I found this by the back door.

McGee: What is it?

Ziva: It's a purple heart.

McGee: It should be pretty easy to track down who that belongs to. I'll get started as soon as we get back.

Gibbs: You two done in here?

McGee: Yeah, just waiting for Palmer.

(Cut back to NCIS headquarters where Tony has brought the kids down to the lab to meet Abby)

Tony: Hey Abbs.

Abby: Tony!

(She runs and gives him a big hug)

Tony: Abby. Can't breathe.

Abby: Oh, sorry.

(She lets go)

So what brings you down here?

Tony: I actually wanted to introduce you to some people. This is Xander Taylor, Finn Jackson, Simon Camden, and Rachael Ellis.

(He leans down to whisper in her ear so that the kids don't hear)

They are the only survivors from the scene this morning.

(He straightens back up so that everyone can hear him)

I thought you could show them around the lab, show them how everything works.

Abby: Sure. There's a lot of cool things in here guys. Just follow me, but make sure to keep your arms and legs inside the tour bus at all times.

Tony: Thanks Abbs.

(He heads back towards the elevator)

(Cut to Tony working on his computer in the office as the rest of the team comes in)

Tony: Hey guys. Find anything?

Ziva: We found a medal.

Tony: (Takes the medal from Ziva's outstretched hand and looks at it carefully)

Ah, the Purple Heart. So from war hero to suspect huh? A shame.

McGee: Yeah, it is. So what did you find?

Tony: Not much about what happened today. But I did find out something about the family.

Gibbs: Report.

Tony: Sure. The family reunion the kids were talking about was supposed to be next weekend not today.

Gibbs: So the kids lied.

Tony: No, they didn't. Well they did. But they didn't know they were lying.

Gibbs: Tony.

Tony: Right. I called some of the neighbors and they were more than happy to share some information about the Camden family. Nosy neighbor number one confirmed that Annie Camden herself told her they were having a family reunion this afternoon. She says she was shopping during the approximate time that the murder actually occurred so she didn't see anything. Nosy neighbor number two says he saw a white Chevy lurking outside of their house earlier that morning but he also said that with that many kids in the house it could have been one of their friends. Nosy neighbor number three said that she didn't see anything unusual at the house but she did say that around two she heard barking outside her door, she opened it and the Camden family dog was standing there. She figured it had just gotten loose from one of the younger kids and didn't think anything of it. She didn't see their car in the driveway so she kept the dog at the house. And nosy neighbor number four hasn't been answering any of my calls.

Gibbs: The dog didn't just get loose did it?

Tony: No. She said as soon as she heard what had happened she took a closer look at the dog and found some blood in its fur.

Ziva: She didn't notice this before?

Tony: Apparently the kids died the dog purple. She didn't really notice.

Gibbs: So the dog was in the house when everything went down.

Tony: I asked her to bring the dog down immediately so that Abby can check it thoroughly.

Gibbs: Good work Tony. Keep trying to get in contact with neighbor number four.

Tony: On it.

(Cut to the same room a little while later)

McGee: I found it. The Purple Heart was given to Sergeant Dylan Price. Wow. He really was a hero.

Gibbs: And now he's our lead suspect. So where is he?

McGee: He's not even supposed to be in town Boss. He told his commander that he was going home to see his family. He checked into the Dragonfly Inn in Stars Hollow, Connecticut two weeks ago and they still have him listed as being there.

Gibbs: Well his purple heart got to the Camden house somehow McGee so track him down and call him in.

McGee: Yes Boss.

(Cut to a woman walking up behind McGee and crossing over to Gibbs desk, holding the leash to a purple dog)

NN3: Special Agent Gibbs. I am Maria Delgado.

Gibbs: Who?

Tony: Nosy neighbor number three Boss.

NN3: The woman turns to glare at Tony before focusing on Gibbs once again)

I brought you Happy like you asked.

Gibbs: Happy?

NN3: The Camden's dog.

(She smiles sadly)

Ruthie named her.

Gibbs: Tony. Take Happy down to see Abby.

(Tony nods and grabs the leash from the woman and heads towards the elevator)

NN3: How are the kids doing?

Gibbs: They're doing as well as can be expected Mrs. Delgado.

NN3: You know I used to baby sit for those kids all the time before the oldest children were old enough to baby sit he little ones themselves. To be honest, I miss being asked to baby sit for them. All of my children are grown and gone; having hose children in the house brought me such joy.

(She chokes up a little, pauses, clears her throat as she wills the tears away)

Please, if there is anything I can do to help, let me know.

Gibbs: I will Mrs. Delgado. Thank you.

(She leaves)

(Cut to Tony downstairs in Abby's lab)

Tony: Hey guys. I got a little surprise for you.

Simon: Happy!

(He rushes to hug her but Tony picks him up and swings him around before he is able to get to her)

Oh, not so fast. It looks like Happy has a bit of evidence on her. As soon as Abby checks her out she's all yours.

Rachael: Is she hurt?

Tony: Not that I can tell. Seems as if she escaped to Mrs. Delgado's house.

Simon: Good girl Happy.

(Abby grabs the dog's leash and starts to check her over)

You're not going to hurt her are you?

Abby: Of course not Sweetie. I'm just going to check Happy here for any evidence that the killer might have left behind.

Finn: How long are we going to have to stay here?

Tony: You'll stay here until we find out what happened and then . . .

Finn: What? Where will we go then? Back to foster care? We're going to get split up aren't we?

Tony: I don't know the answer to that. I'm sorry.

Xander: It's okay. We'll be okay. Hey Rachael, Simon, why don't we go watch Ms. Abby and make sure she's taking good care of our girl?

(Simon starts to go but then stops cold and spins around quickly)

Simon: What will happen to Happy? I can't leaver her. She needs me.

Xander: Come on Simon. I'm sure Mr. Tony will do everything he can to make sure Happy has a good home.

Simon: She has a good home, with us.

Rachael: Why can't you take care of us Xander?

Xander: I wish I could guys but I'm only seventeen. No judge in the world would let me take care of you guys buy myself.

Finn: You wouldn't be by yourself.

Xander: (Turns to Finn)

Finn, don't.

(Turns back to Simon and Rachael's sad faces)

Don't worry guys. Wherever you end up, I'll come and visit all the time and don't worry about Happy Simon. I can get emancipated, move out on my own, and I'll take care of her until your able to.

Simon: You promise?

Xander: You know I love that dog. I won't let anything happen to her, I promise. Now come on, it looks like Ms. Abby is doing something pretty interesting.

(The four kids walk over to Abby and Happy as Tony leave the lab)

(Cut to Tony walking back into the office, flipping closed his cell-phone as he walks out of the elevator)

Tony: So have you gotten in touch with Sergeant Dylan Price, McGee?

McGee: The local P.D. picked him up and are transporting him here immediately.

Tony: So he was in town?

McGee: The local P.D. in Stars Hollow, Connecticut.

Tony: Oh. Well, I still haven't gotten in touch with nosy neighbor number four so I'm going to go back to the scene and try to surprise him.

Gibbs: Take Ziva with you.

Tony: Will do Boss.

(Tony and Ziva grab their bags and head towards the elevator)

(Cut to Tony and Ziva at the house across the street from the Camden's. Tony is knocking on his front door)

Tony: Mr. Peterson. Mr. Peterson! NCIS, open up!

(They hear some moving around inside of the house, they draw their weapons)

Mr. Peterson! Ziva go around the back incase he tries to slip out.

(She moves around to the back of the house)

Mr. Peterson! We know you're in there so why don't you do us both a favor and come on out and talk to us.

(Tony hears some rumbling around the back of the house)

Ziva!

Ziva: Tony! I got him.

(Tony puts his weapon away and goes around the back of the house as Ziva is putting the cuffs on a struggling Peterson)

Tony: Hello Mr. Peterson. Ready to talk to us now?

(The man just glares at him as they walk him around the front of the house and direct him into the back of the police car before driving off)

(Cut to the interrogation room at NCIS headquarters. Gibbs is interrogating Peterson)

Gibbs: So Mr. Peterson, you've been a little hard to get a hold of lately.

NN4: Been busy.

Gibbs: I'm sure you have. So have I. I've been trying to find out who killed the Camden family. Know anything about that?

NN4: Nope, don't know a thing.

Gibbs: See, I find that hard to believe considering you live right across the street from the family and have spent the better part of the afternoon trying to dodge are calls and you even ran when my people showed up. That tells us that you know at least something.

NN4: I didn't see a thing.

Gibbs: You do know that if you know something and you don't tell us you can be charged as an accessory as well as interfering in a federal investigation. That's quite a few years in jail. So if you do know something, now would be the time to tell us.

NN4: I saw a man walking into the Camden house a little before two. He was wearing a military uniform. I heard some shouting, couldn't tell what they were saying but then I heard the shots. Pop, pop, pop it sounded like a machine gun.

Gibbs: Your neighbor Mrs. Delgado was also around during the shooting but she didn't mention hearing anything.

NN4: Probably turned her hearing aid down, she always does when she is alone. She can hear if the sound is close but she probably wouldn't have been able to hear the noises coming from that house even though she was next door.

Gibbs: Why didn't you call the police? You heard the fighting, the shots. Why didn't you call for help?

NN4: Are you kidding me? A guy gets involved in something that's none of his business and the next day he turns up dead, I've seen the movies. I was not going to let myself become a target, not when they were as good as dead anyway. So can I go now?

Gibbs: (The look of disgust is clear on his face)

No.

(Gibbs storms out of the room slamming the door behind him)

NN4: You can't just keep me here! I've been here for hours! I know my rights! I didn't do anything! Hey, come back!

(Nobody answers his cries)

(Cut back to the upstairs office)

Gibbs: How long till Sergeant Price arrives.

(His voice still reflecting how ticked he is about the previous interview)

Tony: ETA is twenty minutes Boss.

Gibbs: We find anything else?

McGee: All the evidence is pointing towards Sergeant Price Boss. But there is no motive that we can see. There is also no evidence to suggest that he even knew the Camden family.

Ziva: I think I may have found something. It is a tentative connection but . . .

Gibbs: Ziva.

Ziva: Sergeant Dylan Price served with Eric Camden's father. He was a Colonial. He retired about ten years ago.

Gibbs: Was there any bad blood between them?

Ziva: Not that I can see at a first glance but I will keep looking.

(She continues reading)

There was a Sergeant Armando Sanchez that served with both Sergeant Price and Colonial Camden.

Tony: I'll give him a call, see if he knows anything.

McGee: Even if there was some bad blood between Price and Camden, why take it out on his family instead of going straight for him.

Gibbs: Why don't you find out McGee? Give Colonial Camden a call.

McGee: On it Boss.

(Cut to Abby's lab with Abby and the children)

Abby: There you go. She's all done and she did an excellent job.

Simon: (Hugs the dog tightly)

Good girl Happy.

(Cut back to the office where a detective and a man in handcuffs are walking towards Gibbs desk)

Detective: Special Agent Gibbs?

Gibbs: Detective Daniels. This Sergeant Price?

Detective: Yes Sir.

Gibbs: (He glares at her at the use of the term Sir and she looks uncomfortable)

Thank you Detective, we'll take it from here.

(She rushes off quickly, clearly intimidated)

(Cut to Gibbs in the interrogation room with Sergeant Price)

Price: I didn't do anything.

Gibbs: You didn't? So I guess it was just a coincidence that your purple heart ended up at the crime scene of a murdered family who just happened to be your old commander's son and grandchildren.

Price: Look, I don't know how it ended up there. Someone must of stolen it.

Gibbs: You don't know if it was stolen or not?

Price: It's not like I carry it around with me. I leave it in my private study at home. I've been in Connecticut for the last couple of weeks, someone could have easily slipped in while I was gone and taken it and I would never have known until I got home again.

Gibbs: You've been on the East Coast for two weeks. Connecticut is far but not far enough that you couldn't have slipped away, come down here, saw the lay of the land, hatched a plan than came down again earlier today. It has been five hours since the murder. It is plausible that you got back just in time for the police to pick you up and bring you back.

(Price looked at Gibbs, incredulous. So Gibbs tried something different, watching Price's reactions, trying to get a read on him)

A neighbor saw a man in a military uniform walk into the Camden house just before the shootings began.

Price: That could have been anybody.

Gibbs: Anybody who just happened to have access to your purple heart.

Price: I don't know how they got the heart but I was in Connecticut. I have alibis. I was playing golf all morning. My caddy, Joe Nichols, was with me the whole time. Then I stopped in at Luke's Diner around 12:30, I'm pretty sure Luke saw me since he took my order and unless you think I may the trip from Connecticut to Washington D.C. in two hours, there is no way that I could have killed that family.

Gibbs: That doesn't mean that you weren't involved, just that you had a partner.

Price: And who would that be?

Gibbs: How about Sergeant Sanchez. You both served together right?

Price: Yeah, so.

Gibbs: So you both also served under Colonial Camden.

Price: As far as I know Colonial Camden is still alive.

Gibbs: Yeah but his family isn't and a guy in a military uniform with your purple heart killed his family.

Price: I already told you that the Purple Heart was stolen.

Gibbs: No you didn't. You said that it could have been stolen. That you weren't home, but it was there when you left so the logical conclusion was that it was stolen while you were away. Now your telling me it was stolen which means you are either lying now or you were lying before and lying tells me that you are hiding something.

Price: I didn't do anything.

(Gibbs just smiles)

(Cut to the lab with Abby)

Abby: Uggghhhh.

Finn: What's wrong?

Abby: The only DNA on Happy was that of . . .

(She glances at the sad, scared faces of the kids)

None of the killer's DNA was on Happy.

Xander: So you can't identify who did this?

Abby: Not through Happy. Gibbs has a suspect in interrogation though, and you guys needn't worry. Gibbs will get the truth out of him. He always does.

(Cut to the office upstairs)

Tony: I talked to Sanchez's wife; apparently he left two days ago from their home in Wisconsin to visit family here in Washington D.C.

McGee: That's not suspicious though.

Tony: No, but his sister, who lives in Utah, says they don't have any family in Washington D.C. or in Virginia or Maryland.

McGee: Colonial Camden says that he constantly had to write up both Sanchez and Price up for their inability to follow orders. They both shaped up over the last ten years but it seems as if the damage was already done because they have both been passed over for promotions numerous times because of it. Although, I still don't see this as motive to kill Colonial Camden's family.

Tony: Yeah. We're missing something. McGee, Sanchez's wife gave me his cell-phone number. Can you trace it?

McGee: If it's on. What's the number?

Tony: 555-3709.

McGee: Alright.

(He pauses while the computer starts the trace)

It's tracking. It looks like he's on his way back to Wisconsin. He's about an hour out.

Ziva: Only an hour. It has been hours since the murder, why was he not already long gone?

Tony: He was waiting for something. Or someone.

Ziva: Should we try to head him off?

Tony: Yeah. Ziva, you and I will go. McGee, we're missing something, something important. Keep digging and maybe we'll get lucky and you'll stumble upon it . . . and call us with any updates.

(Tony and Ziva grab their stuff and start heading towards the elevator when Tony turns around, walking backwards)

Oh, and make sure to tell Gibbs what's going on when he come back up.

(Tony turns back around just as the elevator doors open and Tony and Ziva step inside)

McGee: Sure thing.

(He calls just as the doors are closing)

(Cut to Tony and Ziva in the car, Tony driving, while they try to figure out the missing piece)

Tony: Okay. So let's talk this through. Price and Sanchez are mad they keep getting passed up for promotions. They are also mad that the reason they are getting passed up is not because they are not good marines, because looking at their files proves that they are great marines, but because of all of the write-ups Colonial Camden filed about their inability to follow orders over ten years ago. But is that really enough of a reason for two honored marines to turn and kill their past commander's son and grandchildren. I mean that can't be it right? Price is a war hero. He has a purple heart which doesn't come along every day. So if he did kill the Camden family, especially Ruthie who was only five, than there had to be more of a motive than he just wanted a well-deserved promotion. Same for Sanchez right? He had three kids of his own, one of them only a year older than Ruthie, so would he really take killing a child that lightly?

Ziva: Maybe they didn't do it. Maybe it was someone else entirely.

Tony: And Price just handed over his purple heart so that this someone could leave it at the scene and frame him for murder. I don't care what he says, while he may not carry it around with him, I have no doubts that he knows exactly where it is at all times and he would know if it was stolen. It is to big of an honor to get one to just give it away. Yet, it was left at the scene. Why?

Ziva: To prove a point.

Tony: Maybe. What are the top reasons for a person to commit murder?

Ziva: What?

Tony: The top reasons for one person wanting to kill another, what are they?

Ziva: Revenge, fear, pride, to protect someone . . .

Tony: Family.

Ziva: What?

Tony: Price's wife was the daughter of a well honored military General. Her brother is a military Colonial who has received three purple hearts for his bravery. Her mother was a military nurse. She comes from a military family. A well-known, well-respected military family. Price joined the marines the day after he graduated high school. His parents abandoned him as a child to the foster care system and he was passed from home to home, school to school, until he was 18. He never had any friends, never had any family and he joined so that he could have a family, to feel like he belonged. Sanchez was the first friend he made. A spoiled rich kid who had a problem with authority coupled with the foster kid who had never been able to trust adults. I bet they made quite a pair. Somewhere along the way he met his wife and got married, he shaped up, started following orders and he had a family and a career he could be proud of; until he was up for that first promotion and all of the trouble he made when he first joined came back to bite him. His wife stuck by him for a little while but as over the years people who were less qualified than him or had less service time or were years behind him began getting his promotions or their promotions, Sanchez and Price were turned into the laughing stock of the base. The wife who had stuck by him until two and a half years ago left, embarrassed by her husbands failure; Sanchez's kids stopped looking at him as a hero and more of as a joke. They became the two old men in the back of the high school classroom who flunked over and over again as they watched everyone else pass them by. As the years passed Price and Sanchez lost the only thing that was important to them; their families.

Ziva: Okay, I can see that. But why did Sanchez leave Price's Purple Heart behind.

Tony: Maybe he did it to prove a point. To make sure Colonial Camden knew that he was what caused the deaths of his loved ones. Maybe it was to let him know that they were even.

Ziva: Even?

Tony: You caused me to loose my family, I caused you to loose yours; we're even.

Ziva: Take the next right.

(Tony turns and Ziva points ahead)

That's Sanchez's car.

(Tony rolls down his window as Ziva hands him the blow horn)

Tony: Sergeant Sanchez. Pull over.

(Pause)

Pull over Sergeant Sanchez, it's over.

(Sanchez keeps going for a few more seconds before finally pulling over)

Now get out of the car with your hands up.

(He did and Tony and Ziva got out of the car)

Sergeant Sanchez you are under arrest for killing the Camden family.

(Ziva slaps the cuffs on him and drags him back towards the car)

(Cut back to the NCIS: Interrogation room with Gibbs and Price)

Gibbs: (Talking on the phone)

Yeah. He confessed? Good. That's a good job DiNozzo.

(He hangs up)

Sergeant Price, you are under arrest for the planning of the murder of the Camden family.

(He walks towards the door and leans towards the guard at the door as he passed)

Get him out of here.

(He leaves)

(Cut to Abby's lab as Gibbs and Tony walk in)

Rachael: So did you get him?

Gibbs: Yes we did. We got both of them. They are not going to hurt anyone else ever again.

Rachael: Good.

Simon: So what happens now?

Gibbs: Now we talk.

Finn: We're getting split up aren't we?

Gibbs: Well that's up to you.

Finn: What are you talking about?

Gibbs: Well if you'd give me a minute I'd tell you.

(Gibbs smiles as Finn looks sheepish)

I have a friend that is looking to take all of you and not just has foster children. He wants to adopt you.

Simon: Really!

Xander: Hold on Simon. What's the catch?

Gibbs: The catch is that he lives in New York. You'd all have to move. It would be a new home, new school, new friends; it would be a lot of change. It would just be a lot, especially after everything you've just gone through. The choice is yours; whatever you guys decide we will do.

Finn: How do we know he really wants us; all of us.

Gibbs: Mac has always wanted a big family but unfortunately his wife died before he was able to have one. He has never found anyone he loved as much as he loved her but he doesn't want to keep waiting around for a family that may never come. He's always wanted lots of kids. He does have a demanding job, so while most people want to adopt babies he is actually looking forward to the fact that you're all older and he can talk to you and play with you when he gets home instead of being kept up all night by a screaming baby.

Xander: His name is Mac?

Mac: Mac Taylor. And while Jethro is one of my oldest friends, ask anybody, I don't do anything I don't want to.

Xander: We can't ask you to do this. It's too much.

Mac: You're not asking me. I'm asking you. I want you to be a part of my family, if you'll have me.

Simon: What about Happy?

Mac: Happy is more than welcome as long as you know that it's your responsibility to take care of her and feed her and walk her. I'll be at work all day so I can't do it. You have to be completely responsible for her.

Simon: I will.

(He rushes Mac and gives him a hug; Mac opens his arms wider and Rachael joins the hug. Finn goes to stand next to Mac silently accepting his offer while Xander gives a slight nod indicating that he agrees before going over to Tony and Gibbs)

Xander: I don't know how to thank you. What you did today, for us, it means anything. I don't think I can ever repay you.

Gibbs: You don't owe me anything Xander. You're making one of my oldest friends happier than I have seen him in a long time. That's payment enough.

Xander: Still, if there is ever anything I can do for you in the future, let me know. I owe you one. Heck, I may owe you a dozen. Thank you.

(Xander shakes Gibbs hand and then Tony's before joining the rest of his family in the corner as Gibbs, Tony, and Abby quietly left to give the new family some time alone)

**PLEASE REVIEW! Constructive criticism only PLEASE!**


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